Some high-tech industries have started incorporating shape-memory alloys into various products. Today, many complex structures, such as aircraft, spacecraft, automobiles, and the like, include shape-memory alloys. Shape-memory alloys are special metallic materials that are capable of returning to a previously defined shape (e.g., an initial state) after being heated to deformation (e.g., a deformed state).
The unique characteristics (e.g., pseudoelasticity and shape memory effect) of shape-memory alloys promote their use in different applications. However, due to relatively slow transformations from the deformed shape back to the original shape, shape-memory alloys remain impractical for many applications, particularly where rapid response times are useful.